Baku, Azneft

During the night of April 9-10, enemies of the working class attempted through a series of arson attacks to destroy the Surakhany oil fields in Baku. Having familiarized myself with the facts of extraordinary heroism and self-sacrifice displayed by the workers and engineers of the fields, who localized the fire in conditions of enormous danger to life, on behalf of Soviet Russia I consider it my duty to express gratitude to the workers and engineers of the Surakhany oil fields. Such facts of heroism best of all demonstrate that, despite all difficulties, despite the continuous conspiracies of Socialist Revolutionary and White Guard enemies of the workers' republic, the Soviet republic will emerge victorious from all difficulties.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars

V. Ulyanov (Lenin)

Written April 28, 1922

Published May 3, 1922

in the newspaper "Bakinskii Rabochii"

No. 96

Printed from the typewritten

text signed by

V. I. Lenin